When I turn my car on it made a nasty cracking sound and it did sound terrible but it started up. Battery went bad and I got a new one that had a little more juice to it, and the car kept making that terrible sound when i tried to start it. I tried to start it this morning and it caught but it was cold out and it shut off before i warmed it up enough. I try to start it again, it makes the cracking sound and stops and all I hear is my starter spinning but not catching at all. Now it wont start, everytime i try i hear the starter spinning but nothing catching. Any ideas?
try turning engine over by hand, grab fan an push on belt while turning. Try starter then an see if works. Sounds like bad spot on flywheel/flexplate. Hard to know what the sounds really are.
Bad gear drive on starter,cracked flexplate/ring gear has worn teeth.Check the starter and make sure its bolted down tight...
What should I check first? If it's a flexplate or flywheel will that mean I need to remove engine/transmission?
Yes it does...Check the starter first.Make sure it is bolted down tight and not flopping around.Then remove it and check the ring gear on the flexplate...Turn the engine over by hand with a breaker bar.(Disconnect the battery before removing the starter) Use a bright flash light to see inside the hole the starter fits into (you will see the ring gear/teeth) Look for shiney spots on the edges of the teeth facing you. If you dont see any shiney spots or chewed up teeth on the gear (trust me you will see em if they are there) Then the starter isnt chewing it up.While you have the starter out get it tested to be certain it is functioning properly...Good luck!!!
So if starter isnt bad and teeth are not chewed up then I guess I'll have to take my I6 and tranny out and replace it with a 302 Could have something caused this when I replaced the water pump because before the water pump was replaced it starter smooth but afterward it made a terrible sound every time I started it?
If the starter checks good and the ring gear checks out,then its a cracked flexplate or you mounted something improperly when you replaced the WP and whatever it is, is hitting something when the engine rotates on startup ( I doubt this is your problem) If something was mis aligned or improperly attached and caused such racket You would find it in short order. I tend to think you have a starter with a bad gear drive on it or broken snout or both...Good luck man!!!
pull ur starter, i had mine go bad 2 weeks ago. made the same noise ur talking about, it was the gear on the starter staying in the out position riding on the flexplate...this is also the easiest to check. after that if the starter is still good, pull ur inspection cover (at the back of the oil pan in the lower 1/3 of your bell housing) turn your motor by hand (move by turning the fan or the bolt on the crank pulley) and check the flex-plate for cracks or loose torque converter bolts...i also had this problem...lol
What ended up being the problem with yours? Is there any chance you could send a picture of what he inspection cover looks like?
Check the teeth at the shiney spots. If the teeth are jagged and chewed up looking then the starter wasnt engageing em properly. You may get away with a good starter,If the racket persists...The ring gear is too chewed up and should be replaced.If I remember correctly, the ring gear on the 200ci I-6 is pressed onto the torque converter and takes some finesse to install once you have the converter out of the car. Good luck!!!
